Body

10 Healthier Fall Drinks to Try

As the weather cools down, more and more of us are curling up inside with a nice hot drink. The problem? Many of our favorites are loaded with sugar, fat and unnecessary calories. So try sipping on these healthier versions of your favorite autumnal beverages instead.

You might love Starbucks’ pumpkin spice latte, but your waistline doesn’t. A grande size with whipped cream and 2% milk clocks in at 14 grams of fat and 380 calories. Save your health and your wallet by making your own healthier version. This Eating Bird Food recipe ditches the dairy and whipped cream and gets its pumpkin flavor from puree, not syrup.

Horrifyingly, a grande Chai Latte from Starbucks has the same amount of sugar as THREE glazed donuts! Go for Independent’s recipe instead. It’s filled with good-for-you spices and lets you add in your own sweetener to taste – so unless you’re pouring in agave, it’s guaranteed to be way better for you.

Apple cider is about as healthy as juice – not the best fall beverage, but you could do a lot worse. Make your own with HealthfulPursuit’s recipe, which is packed with flavorful superfoods like star anise and ginger and has no added sugars.

Keeping hot chocolate mix in your cupboard is convenient on cold fall nights – but many brands include unnecessary ingredients like vegetable oil and dipotassium phosphate. Luckily, it’s super-simple to make your own instead! We like Skinny Ms’ Mexican Hot Chocolate Mix. If you want, you can add a little cayenne pepper – which actually helps draw out chocolate’s nutrients.

Ice-cold lemonade might be the quintessential summer drink, but people love hot buttered lemonade in the colder months. Sadly, butter isn’t the healthiest ingredient – so we prefer this recipe, which ditches the butter in favor of a little honey. The drink will also soothe your throat during cold season, although it’s just as delicious when you’re feeling healthy.

Surprise, surprise: Starbucks’ Cinnamon Dolce Latte is just as unhealthy as the rest of their drinks on this list. So go with Don’tWastetheCrumbs’ recipe, which calls for just 5 ingredients. Bonus? You only have to make the cinnamon-and-water syrup once, and then you can get 16 drinks out of it.

Mulled wine is on the healthier end of the spectrum when it comes to holiday drinks – remember eggnog? But there are as many recipes for mulled wine as there are kinds of wine, and many of those recipes call for tons of added sugar. So try this mulled wine from HealthySeasonalRecipes instead, which gets its sweetness from a touch of blackberry jam. Yum!

In the mood for a cold drink? Skip the caffeine and start your day off with a pumpkin pie smoothie. This recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction is packed with protein and gives you the flavor of pumpkin pie with far fewer calories and fat.

Like mulled wine, hot toddies aren’t terrible for you as long as the mix-ins remain on the healthier side. This recipe from PopSugar fits that bill, calling for honey, lemon juice and cinnamon sticks in addition to the ever-important bourbon.

10. Hot Tea.

Image via Pexels

Let’s face it: the perfect fall beverage is one that’s hot, cheap, easy to make and good for you. So why not try some hot tea? As long as you can boil water or stick a mug in the microwave, you can steep a tea bag for a few minutes. There are several kinds you can try, and all of them offer different health benefits whether you go for green tea, black tea or herbal tea. Just make sure you watch how much milk and sugar you add, since doing so will decrease the benefits drastically.

As the weather cools down, more and more of us are curling up inside with a nice hot drink. The problem? Many of our favorites are loaded with sugar, fat and unnecessary calories. So try sipping on these healthier versions of your favorite autumnal beverages instead.

You might love Starbucks’ pumpkin spice latte, but your waistline doesn’t. A grande size with whipped cream and 2% milk clocks in at 14 grams of fat and 380 calories. Save your health and your wallet by making your own healthier version. This Eating Bird Food recipe ditches the dairy and whipped cream and gets its pumpkin flavor from puree, not syrup.

Horrifyingly, a grande Chai Latte from Starbucks has the same amount of sugar as THREE glazed donuts! Go for Independent’s recipe instead. It’s filled with good-for-you spices and lets you add in your own sweetener to taste – so unless you’re pouring in agave, it’s guaranteed to be way better for you.

Apple cider is about as healthy as juice – not the best fall beverage, but you could do a lot worse. Make your own with HealthfulPursuit’s recipe, which is packed with flavorful superfoods like star anise and ginger and has no added sugars.

Keeping hot chocolate mix in your cupboard is convenient on cold fall nights – but many brands include unnecessary ingredients like vegetable oil and dipotassium phosphate. Luckily, it’s super-simple to make your own instead! We like Skinny Ms’ Mexican Hot Chocolate Mix. If you want, you can add a little cayenne pepper – which actually helps draw out chocolate’s nutrients.

Ice-cold lemonade might be the quintessential summer drink, but people love hot buttered lemonade in the colder months. Sadly, butter isn’t the healthiest ingredient – so we prefer this recipe, which ditches the butter in favor of a little honey. The drink will also soothe your throat during cold season, although it’s just as delicious when you’re feeling healthy.

Surprise, surprise: Starbucks’ Cinnamon Dolce Latte is just as unhealthy as the rest of their drinks on this list. So go with Don’tWastetheCrumbs’ recipe, which calls for just 5 ingredients. Bonus? You only have to make the cinnamon-and-water syrup once, and then you can get 16 drinks out of it.

Mulled wine is on the healthier end of the spectrum when it comes to holiday drinks – remember eggnog? But there are as many recipes for mulled wine as there are kinds of wine, and many of those recipes call for tons of added sugar. So try this mulled wine from HealthySeasonalRecipes instead, which gets its sweetness from a touch of blackberry jam. Yum!

In the mood for a cold drink? Skip the caffeine and start your day off with a pumpkin pie smoothie. This recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction is packed with protein and gives you the flavor of pumpkin pie with far fewer calories and fat.

Like mulled wine, hot toddies aren’t terrible for you as long as the mix-ins remain on the healthier side. This recipe from PopSugar fits that bill, calling for honey, lemon juice and cinnamon sticks in addition to the ever-important bourbon.

10. Hot Tea.

Image via Pexels

Let’s face it: the perfect fall beverage is one that’s hot, cheap, easy to make and good for you. So why not try some hot tea? As long as you can boil water or stick a mug in the microwave, you can steep a tea bag for a few minutes. There are several kinds you can try, and all of them offer different health benefits whether you go for green tea, black tea or herbal tea. Just make sure you watch how much milk and sugar you add, since doing so will decrease the benefits drastically.